Recovery of potassium and aluminium compounds.



UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

MATHIAS HAUBER, .73., OF WEST HAVERSTRAW NEW YORK.

RECOVERY OF POTASSIUM AND ALUMINIUM COMPOUNDS.

No Drawing.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, MATHIAS HAUBER, J12, a citizen of the United States, residing at \Vest Haverstraw, in the county of Rockland, in the State of New York, have invented new and useful Improvements in the Recovery of Potassium and Aluminium Compounds, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to a process of recovering the sulfates of potassium and alu minium, either as mixtures of these in. various proportions or in combination potash alum. It refers more particularly to the treatment of glauconite which occurs in extensive deposits and is commonly known as greensand, but may be applied to any suitable material containing these elements. The object of this process is to provide a method that will be simple in its nature, comparatively easy to carry out, and less costly to operate than those heretofore proposed.

With these and other objects in view the invention consists in the novel steps and combination of steps as will be more fully hereinafter disclosed and particularly pointed out in the claims.

In operating this process greensand either ground or unground may be intimately mixed with ferrous sulfate known usually to the trade as copperas or green vitriol, and the Whole raised to a temperature sufficient to bring about the reaction.

As anexample of the process, unground greensand is mixed with a concentrated solution of ferrous sulfate in such proportion that there shall be 30 parts of ferrous sul fate for every 100 parts of grcensand employed. The strength of the solution is immaterial provided there is enough ferrous sulfate. present, and the volume of the liquid is suflicient to-uniformly moisten the mass.

By experience I have found that a solution of 50% strength is very suitable, as it affords sufficient liquid to moisten the required amount of greensand without undue wetting, which would necessitate a certain amount of evaporation. The temperature to which the mass is heated may vary from 300 to 800 C. but for general purposes under normal conditions 450 C. is very suitable. The duration of the heating varies with the fineness and the nature of the greensand, but for example it may extend Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed July 15, 1919.

Patented Dec. 2, 1915).

Serial No. 312,024.

' d to a thick paste with the concentrated ferrous sulfate solution it is at once fed to the furnace and heated to a temperature sulhcient to decompose all the ferrous sulfate but below that at which aluminium sulfate would begin to decompose.

It is also essential that the temperature he held down below the point at wl-iich sintering or partial fusion sets in.

Any of the various types of furnaces may be employed, such as for example: rotary kilns, wedge roaster-s llerresholl's or other well known calcining furnaces. ()n leaving the furnace the material may be dumped directly into water and progressively leached. .On evaporation potash alum crystallmes out in a eonumratively pure condition.

in adding an iron salt. as is done in this process, the. amount of iron present in the mixture is very much greater than that in the original grecnsand. ()n further treating so that all the potassium and aluminium is removed as well as the adhering moisture and water of combination. the resulting residue may ah'nost be classed as an iron ore so great has been the percentage increase of iron. It has already been suggested that greensand itself might be classed and employed as a source of iron, but little or no progress has previously been made in this direction owing to the low iron content. By this process the dcliciency is overcome. Another advantage in utilizing this residue is its great freedom from objectionable impurities.

If properly proportioned the sulfates will be entirely removed by the. complete. decomposition of the added ferrous sulfate and the leaching out of all the soluble potassium and aluminium] sulfates.

Another and perhaps better use of my residue consists in applying it as a pigment. in paints, plastics, composite brick, commits, mortars, etc. It. is of a very pleasing brick red color, and possessing great coloring power. In the case of paints its covering power is very marked. The. residue may also be employed as an abrasive.

It is obvious that those skilled in the art may vary the details of the process as well as the nature of the product without de- Ill aluminium parting lroni the spirit oi the im'em'ion, and thui'o'l'oio, I do not wish to he liiiiil'o (i to the ahovv disclosures except 2193 may he, i'eqiiii'ml by tho clzliiiis.

.1 claim:

3. A process of recovering po'l'zissilim and from fIl'UPllSiLlllh which unmpi'isos healing {he mzii'oi'izil iiil'inmiely mixed with 'loi'i'oui-z sullizil'o ill; :1 (hill i'ml hmtgl lmfoby decomposing the. ferrous" sulfate and l'ormiiig comhmod sulfates of potassium and aluminium; suhsluntinll as ilosui'ihml.

:L A process oil recovering pOiflfih'llllH ziml aluminium "from groonszuul, which oom- 5. Hi pron-mas of l'lLfiYftl'iilg' potassium and ahiminiuiii from QflMEDSiUNl, which comprises miliiiiziling lLho imgi'ouml grcensancl with :1 Solution 0'? :lcvi-oiis sulfate, heating i'ho mm; lo a {illli i'ml heal for :1 period of from one hall in lii'o hoiiiri, ext acting the Imis Willi mzlo llllii ciysla lining the dishUi'VLHi potash :ilFll); :-:iihstantinlly as der-'i'ii]i(i.

l. A moi-mi of recovering the potussimn 21ml aluminium commit of gi'vonszuul, which compi'iwm illlillli\'l4fl mixing .100 parts of ,qi'awiismiil and 2:30 parts of ferrous sulfate, hiuiimg 'iihi 1112155 from 3G0 C. to 800 C. for om= hon 11 r r u! liifibjf'ilfilig out the resulting illil'm; uhslunhullp; :18 described.

hill I. l Ail H A UBER, JR. 

